Miles Kane first night of two at Manchester Academy

Miles Kane plays to a packed crowd at the Academy, with a renewed vigour, one that seems to say thanks for coming along for the ride.

Miles Kane brings His Coup De Grace tour and album for the first of two nights, to Manchester Academy, With a title inspired by his favourite WWE wrestler (the demonically body painted Finn Balor, who likes to finish opponents with his signature “Coup de Grace” move), the album first began to take shape when Kane reconnected with an old friend, noughties indie hero Jamie T. Despite knowing each other for ten years, the pair had never collaborated.

The support for this tour is the ever so popular Cabbage, who take to the stage right on que. Being no strangers to this is venue, it was great to see Cabbage, in full flow, having brought a fair few of their own followers, helped to liven proceedings up a little. “Terrorist Synthesiser”, and the ever so UpToDate “Necro flat in the Palace” where the stand out tracks within the set.

Over 2000 people packed into the Academy, as Kane takes to the stage, and immediately launches into “Loaded” from his current album, with a backdrop that wouldn’t have been out of place in Phoenix Nights of Peter Kay fame, shimmering strips of glitter cover the stage from side to side, and the Now familiar sight of the neon sign of “Coup de Grace” illuminating the stage.

Next up its back to the 2011 album “Colour of the Trap” and the uplifting “Inhaler”, sees Kane thrashing around the stage. Kane stops to greet the crowd and asks how are you Manchester? Only to be greeted with the crowd replying, “You Scouse bastard, you Scouse bastard”, which he and the band seemed to find hilarious, nothing like having the crowd on your side.

“Cry on my guitar” is a real 70, s throwback, a real Rock stomping glam spectacle in the Marc Bolan vein, “Kingcrawler”, Precedes Kane’s latest single “Killing the Joke”, which has seen Kane fully recaptured his mojo. “Shavambacu” has that cocktail lounge feel where as “Too little too late” reignites the fire the power guitar cords the layered and yet so simple sound bed of a glam/punk revival.

Kane introduced a new track that was also a collaboration with Jamie T. “LA Five Four” “This is a spooky intense number that reflects on a reoccurring dream I would have while I was living in LA” says Miles “I’d be walking down the corridor of a hotel and then knock on room 309. When I would enter, I would wake up in a shock and the time would be 3:55 each time! The wildness of the verses is me with no reins on, it’s as hard hitting as it comes!”

A cover of Donna Summers “Hot Love” is big and brash and empathises the breadth of inspiration Kane draws from, one of the best live versions other than the original.
“Coup De Grace” and “Don’t forget who you are” close the set, before a quick encore.

“The Colour trap” and finally “Come closer” drags the last dregs of guitar from an artist showcasing not only what seems like a breakthrough album in “Coup de Grace” it’s a performance that’s full of Glam, Punk foot stompers, delivered at times with a power and swagger, from a man who knows where he is taking us next.

Quite simply it was a COUP DE FORCE, when you can do it, do it well, this Kane has in abundance.